The region was still recovering from Hurricane Irma when it was pummeled last week by Hurricane Maria. Days after the storm passed, Puerto Rico is still without power and has spotty access to water. Other islands suffered similarly, raising fears of a potentially permanent exodus.

The region needs immediate and long-term help. A few of the groups collecting donations to provide such relief are listed below.

A coalition of elected officials in New York and Puerto Rico joined the Hispanic Federation, a Latino nonprofit, to launch this relief fund for Puerto Ricans affected by Maria. Proceeds will go to community and civic organizations in Puerto Rico, the group said.

The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, a nonprofit, is collecting donations through this fund, which will be used “both to support short-term relief efforts and to enhance the well-being of future generations.”

The crowdfunding website maintains a list of campaigns, many of them local, collecting donations for victims of the storm. Donors can give to a campaign or directly to GoFundMe, which will then distribute the money to the campaigns.

This initiative, from Beatriz Rosselló, the first lady of Puerto Rico, enlists private sector help in providing aid to those affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Donations are accepted through a variety of means, including PayPal.

National and Global Charities

Each group below has earned the top rating, four stars, from Charity Navigator, which grades charities based on transparency and financial health.

All Hands works with local volunteers and groups to respond to natural disasters. With Hurricanes Harvey and Maria, it is focusing its efforts on the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Our help is needed in the islands, so that’s where we’ll be,” said Erik Dyson, the group’s chief executive.

The relief and development organization, which provides health services to those in need, said that it was working with officials in Puerto Rico to stock emergency shelters with medical supplies. Earlier in the week, it had airlifted $1.8 million worth of medicine and supplies to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Direct Relief reported that it was working with local authorities to deliver a shipment of medicine and medical supplies to islands in the region. It also said it was working to provide insulin to 120 displaced dialysis patients.

This crowdfunding website connects donors to nonprofits and companies around the world. Donations will be spent first on the immediate needs of victims and then on longer-term recovery efforts “run by local, vetted organizations,” according to the website.

This group was already providing medicine, medical care and aid to victims of storms in Texas, the Florida Keys and Haiti, when it sent two teams to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. It also sent thousands of health and hygiene kits to St. Lucia and St. Martin last week.

All five living former presidents have united to raise money for One America Appeal, a fund administered by the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation. Donations will be distributed to a variety of funds aimed at helping storm victims in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Texas and Florida. Those groups include two listed above: Unidos por Puerto Rico and the Fund for the Virgin Islands.

Do Your Research

It’s important to research charities to fully understand how they might — or might not — spend your money. Charity Navigator, as we mentioned, is a good resource.

But high ratings may not always be enough. Despite earning three stars from Charity Navigator, the American Red Cross has faced strong criticism in recent years for its response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, stemming from a ProPublica and National Public Radio investigation that suggested that the group had badly mismanaged relief efforts. (The Red Cross has disputed the criticism.) The organization also recently apologized for temporarily suspending registrations for financial assistance for victims of Hurricane Harvey.